


Benefits of Crash Landing

by Kittens



Series: Benefits [1]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Arguing, Crash Landing, Kissing, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:48:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26211439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittens/pseuds/Kittens
Summary: Sometimes when you're stranded on a planet with someone who hates you, you end up kissing
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Series: Benefits [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1926058
Comments: 13
Kudos: 58
Collections: Kylux Summer Fest 2020





	Benefits of Crash Landing

“What do you mean?” Hux shouted over the sound of alarms going off. Kylo ignored him. He’d already explained what was happening once and now he had to focus on landing the shuttle safely. Or at least making sure they survived the crash, because the engines were not going to be turning back on.

It was a scenario that was becoming far too common.

Hux continued to yell at him, but Kylo was too busy trying to make some last minute repairs. He wouldn’t be able to get it working properly, but Kylo thought he could at least land it in one or two pieces. 

The planet’s surface was coming up fast below them and Kylo had to slow them down. The shuttle was too broken that Kylo couldn’t do it the regular way, so instead, he used the Force, slowing the descent. It wasn’t going to be enough, but they would at least survive.

“We’re going to crash!” Hux shouted, stating the obvious. Soon, he cries were drowned out by the sounds of the shuttle crashing into the sand. Both of them were thrown about the cockpit, but neither of them were severely injured. 

Kylo checked the status of the ship - most of the systems were still working, but of course, the communications were down and even had Kylo been able to fix the engines, there was now too much damage from the crash to take off. At least he could get information on whatever planet they were on.

“What are you doing?” Hux asked. “Shouldn’t we be trying to get out of here?”

“If you’d like to leave without knowing anything about what planet we’re on, be my guest,” Kylo said. “Unlike you, I actually know what to do when I’m on a planet.”

“I wouldn’t call destroying everything in my path knowing what to do,” Hux said as he peered over Kylo’s shoulder at the computer. “Although I suppose knowing local climate conditions could be useful.”

Kylo glanced back at him but quickly looked back at the screen. Hux’s face when he was concentrating on something was too distracting. Kylo always wanted to put his hand on him and pet him when he looked like that, but that would have been a bad idea. Hux would probably shoot him and Kylo would be too distracted to stop him.

The distractions that Hux caused for Kylo was the main reason he hadn’t even wanted Hux on the mission, but he insisted on tagging along, claiming he needed to know exactly what Kylo was spending First Order funds on. Kylo knew it had been a bad idea, and although he hadn’t even been paying attention to Hux when their engines started to fail, he knew it was somehow his fault that they crashed.

Once Kylo had all the information he needed on climate, local wildlife and the direction to the nearest settlement, he turned the computer off and activated a tracking beacon. It didn’t have a long range, but any First Order ships in the area would be able to pick it up. But Kylo didn’t plan on waiting around to wait, as it could be weeks before they were found.

There was a city that would be at least a two days’ walk - more if he slowed down so Hux could keep up. He thought about telling Hux to wait at the shuttle, but he knew he’d never do anything he suggested. Instead, Kylo started to take off his clothes.

“What are you doing?” Hux asked.

“What’s it look like?”

“Okay, _why_ are you taking your clothes off?”

“Didn’t you read the report?” Kylo asked as he pulled his tunic off and tossed it on the floor. “It’s hot. I’m not walking out there with this many clothes on.”

“You’re taking everything off,” Hux said. “Can’t you wear at least an undershirt?”

“No.” Kylo took his pants off and then threw his undershirt to the floor, leaving him standing in his underwear. He looked at Hux who was still fully dressed.

“I’m not taking my clothes off,” he said.

Kylo just shrugged. It wasn’t like he could make him and if he wanted to suffer, that would be his own fault. Kylo looked at his boots and started to put them back on. They’d be hot, but sweaty feet were better than walking 100 kilometers over unknown terrain bare foot. He also put his belt back on, as he wasn’t about to leave his lightsaber behind.

He headed for the ramp and saw that Hux was following him. He knew he could knock Hux out with the Force and he wouldn’t wake up for several hours. But if he did, he couldn’t be certain that Hux would stay with the shuttle and the last thing he wanted to do was search for Hux after help arrived. And he didn’t want Hux to get hurt either.

“Shouldn’t you guard the ship?” Kylo asked.

“There’s nothing to guard,” Hux said.

“No, but you’ll be more comfortable.”

“And let you cause who knows what kind of chaos on your own? I think it’ll be for the best if we stick together.”

“Or maybe you’re just scared to be alone,” Kylo teased.

“The most frightening thing on this planet is you in your underwear,” Hux said as he pushed the button to lower the ramp. As soon as the ramp was down, Kylo was hit with a blast of hot, thick air. If Hux really wanted to come along, Kylo wasn’t about to stop him. He followed Hux out of the ship, wondering just how long it would take for him to shed his own clothes.

They walked down the sandy beach for a while, and although Hux never complained, Kylo could sense his discomfort in the Force, which was not surprising as Hux had not even bothered to take his greatcoat off. 

“How far are we going?” Hux asked once they made their way from the beach into a forested area. Although the shade provided some relief from the sun, it was still hot and humid.

“Nearest city is 96 kilometers from the shuttle,” Kylo said.

“You could have said it was that far before we left,” Hux muttered.

“You’re free to return to the ship.”

They fell silent and they stayed that way for several hours. It wasn’t until Kylo noticed that Hux was falling behind that either of them spoke.

“You’re going to pass out,” Kylo said. Part of him just wanted to let Hux pass out and keep going, but he hated to think of him all alone out in the middle of nowhere. 

“I’m fine,” Hux said. 

“At least take that coat off,” Kylo said as he reached for it, but soon found a knife at his throat. 

“Don’t touch it,” Hux growled.

“Yeah, okay. Fine. Keep it on. Die of heat stroke.”

They stared at each other for a few moments before Hux lowered the knife and then started to take his coat off. Even with the coat off, Hux had far too many clothes on.

“Take the gloves off,” Kylo said.

“No.”

“Hux, we’re not even halfway there. You’re hot and miserable and you’re going to pass out. Take your gloves and tunic off. At least.”

For a moment, Kylo thought that Hux was going to refuse, but then, he took his gloves off and then undid his belt and started to take off his tunic as well. Kylo couldn’t help but stare, realizing that it was the most exposed he’d ever seen Hux and he couldn’t help but think about him with even less clothes on. Hux still held onto his clothes and Kylo knew he was going to be difficult about that as well, so he grabbed Hux’s clothes with the Force and threw them out of sight.

“What was that for?” Hux shouted at him.

“You have more uniforms,” Kylo said as he continued on his way.

“Uniforms cost credits, Ren,” Hux said. “Credits that could be better spent on more important things. But you had to ruin a perfectly good uniform.”

Kylo ignored him and continued walking, but he went at a slower pace than before. Although Hux had removed the heaviest parts of his uniform, he was still too hot and there was no good way to cool him off. Even if they stopped to rest, the oppressive heat of the planet they were on would prevent Hux from truly cooling off.

Then they came to a river and Kylo had an idea. 

“I don’t suppose you happen to know where the best place to cross is,” Hux said.

“Right here,” Kylo said as he shoved Hux with the Force into the middle of the river. He watched Hux flail for a second and then realized he had no idea how deep the water was or whether or not Hux could even swim. He’d been raised on a Star Destroyer - there’d probably never been a chance for him to learn.

Kylo went running in after him and as he got close, he realized that he was still standing, the water only about waist deep. By the time he realized he was in trouble, Hux grabbed him and pulled him under the water.

“I hate you so much!” Hux shouted as Kylo came back up. “What is wrong with you?”

Kylo opened his mouth to argue that he’d helped Hux by cooling him off, but he couldn’t get over the absurdity of the situation. He was in his underwear, kneeling in a river with Hux standing over him, screaming at him. Kylo couldn’t help but laugh.

Suddenly, Hux grabbed his face and Kylo thought for a moment that Hux was going to push him under the water and hold him there. He was smiling and Kylo couldn’t imagine what else that could mean. But he didn’t try to drown him. Instead, he crashed his lips into Kylo’s.

Kylo froze, unsure of what to do, and the next thing he knew, Hux was walking away from him. By the time Kylo managed to move, Hux had made it to the other side of the river. Kylo quickly followed him, but he had no idea what to say.

“Uh,” Kylo said as he walked over to where Hux was shaking water from his boots.

“We’d better try to keep going before it gets dark,” Hux said as he put his boot back on.

“Um. Yeah.”

Kylo didn’t know how to bring up the kiss. He wanted to ask him why he’d done that and if it meant anything and more importantly, Kylo wanted to know if Hux would do it again. Just as he was getting ready to just ask, Hux stopped.

“What?” Kylo asked.

“Do you hear that?” Hux asked. Kylo listened and he could hear a faint buzzing that was getting louder and louder.

“What is it?” Kylo asked.

“It doesn’t sound like a machine,” Hux said. “I don’t know.”

Kylo sensed that there was danger nearby and he pulled his lightsaber from his belt. The buzzing grew louder and soon Kylo saw a swarm of large insects coming towards them. Each one looked like it was nearly the size of Kylo’s head.

Kylo ignited his lightsaber and cut the first one down, but he quickly realized he wasn’t going to be able to stop them all. Every time he killed one, it seemed like another three appeared. Giving the bugs a push with the Force, and then turned to Hux.

“Run!” he shouted before he realized that Hux had already figured that out.

They kept running until the sound of buzzing insects had faded. Hux was completely out of breath, and although Kylo could keep going, he would have to use the Force to boost his stamina. 

“Come on,” Kylo said, putting a hand on Hux’s back. “We’d better keep going.”

“Get your hand off of me,” Hux said as he started to walk away.

“You did a lot more than put your hand on me,” Kylo said.

“I did not,” Hux said.

Of course Hux was going to deny it. But Kylo wasn’t about to let him forget it. Before he could argue with him, they came across a road and they stopped.

“We must be close,” Hux said.

“No,” Kylo said. “We’ve got at least another day.”

“The road’s right here.”

“Roads can be long,” Kylo pointed out.

“We’ll be there in a few hours,” Hux said. “Let’s keep going.”

Kylo grabbed Hux by the arm, but he quickly pulled himself free. At least he didn’t keep trying to walk away and he wasn’t pulling a weapon on him either.

“We should find a place to camp for the night,” Kylo said. 

“Or we could make it to where we’re going so we can call for help,” Hux argued. “You can stop if you’re tired, but I’m going to keep going.”

“And pass out on the side of the road?” Kylo asked. “You’ve already put yourself through a lot today. You can’t keep going.”

“Maybe you can’t!”

“I have the Force! I could go for days like this! But you’re nothing!”

“Fuck you Ren!” Hux shoved him and Kylo couldn’t help but push him back. He didn’t mean to hit him hard, but Hux ended up falling over.

“Hux, I -” Kylo went to help him up but Hux knocked him to the ground and then climbed on top of him and punched him. He tried to hit again, but Kylo blocked him and tried to push him off, but Hux wouldn’t move.

Soon, bright lights fell across them and they both stopped and slowly got to their feet as a large speeder pulled up. An alien that Kylo couldn’t identify stepped out.

“You two just crash land about thirty kilometers back?” The alien asked. At least he spoke Basic.

“Yeah,” Kylo confirmed, hoping it wasn’t going to be a problem. But it really wasn’t his fault they’d crashed, so they couldn’t hold it against him.

“Glad I found you! Let me call it in so the other crews out looking for you know to head in. Just the two of you?”

Kylo nodded and the alien quickly spoke into a com unit in the speeder in some language Kylo had never heard before. Then he turned back to them. “All right you two. Get into the speeder and I’ll get you somewhere safe.”

Kylo hesitated because getting into a vehicle with a stranger seemed like a bad idea, but he had his lightsaber and the Force. There was nothing for Kylo to worry about and he climbed in. Hux followed him.

“We always seem to find those who wander off from their ships on the road this time of day,” the alien said as he started to drive. “Those skran bugs chase everyone out of the forest when the sun sets. But really, you should have stuck with your ship. We send crews out to crashes pretty quickly.”

“And how were we supposed to know that?” Hux asked.

“A message is sent to all incoming ships,” the alien explained. “Did you not get it?”

“Uh.” Kylo remembered seeing an incoming message a few minutes before the shuttle’s systems went down, but he’d ignored it. “No.”

“Ah. Well, that’s a shame. But we always find those who leave. It’s just a little more miserable. We’ll make sure to make up for that.”

“Do ships crash here frequently?” Hux asked.

“Oh, all the time. The atmosphere wreaks havoc on most ships. It’s why we recommend that tourists leave their ships in orbit and have us send a shuttle, but we always get you adventurous types who think they can handle it.”

The alien continued to talk on the way, and Kylo realized he could have made his mission so much easier. He was used to sneaking around on planets, but the locals were apparently very hospitable and liked to take care of any and all guests. They were even being taken to a place where they’d be able to stay free of charge as an apology for the damage to their ship.

It took about an hour before they arrived and Kylo thought it would be some run down building, a simple shelter for the people who crashed. Instead, it looked like a very nice hotel. The speeder driver left them with another alien of a different species, and they were led to a large courtyard with a pool.

“Showers are through here,” the alien said, stopping by a door. “We will have some clothes brought to you shortly, and once you have finished cleaning, please take a seat by the pool and we will bring you some food. We should have a room ready for you in a few hours.”

Kylo walked through the door and saw several stalls. Near the door, there was a table with towels and a few bottles. Kylo looked at the bottles and saw one that said it was suitable for humans and grabbed it along with a towel and went into one of the showers. He was nearly halfway done with his shower when he finally heard another shower turn on. Hux was taking his time.

When he was done, Kylo noticed there was another table and this one had some clothes on it. A quick glance was enough for Kylo to know it was far from his usual style - everything was brightly colored. As much as he didn’t want to wear any of it, at least he had the first pick.

He picked out a pair of shorts with a floral pattern and a red shirt. It was a little too tight on him, but not too uncomfortable. He put his belt back on because even if he was going to be sitting by a pool, he wanted his weapon. Kylo heard the shower turn off but he left. He’d talk to Hux later. He’d probably be in a better mood once he was dressed.

Kylo went out to the pool and sat down in one of the lounge chairs that was near a large fan. Almost immediately, someone brought him a drink and a plate of fruit. It was almost a little creepy how fast they were. Had they been watching them?

“What is this?” Kylo asked, looking at the plate.

“The freshest fruit we have to offer,” the server told him. “If you’d like something else, let us know, but the fruit is quite filling.”

Kylo would have preferred something more along the lines of a nerf steak but he would eat just about anything and took a bite of the fruit. It was good, at least. He took a sip of the drink and found it was sweet as well. 

Soon, he saw Hux walking out of the showers and he frowned. He wasn’t wearing any of the obnoxious floral prints that had been left on the table. Instead, he wore yellow and pink striped shorts and a pink sleeveless shirt. It looked ridiculous, but at least he matched.

“That wasn’t on the table,” Kylo said as Hux sat down next to him.

“It was,” Hux said. He took his drink and plate of fruit from the server. “I simply waited for the clothes to be brought in before showering so I could make sure I had the best pick.”

“Not like I wanted pink anyway,” Kylo muttered.

“You know,” Hux said after a while, “this place isn’t so bad. If you don’t crash and walk through a forest all day in the heat.”

“Yeah? Well, it wasn’t all bad, was it?”

“It was.”

Kylo looked over at him. Hux was sipping on his drink, staring straight ahead. He knew bringing up the kiss would not end well. He should just leave it alone, but he also needed to know. 

“What about the river?”

“What about it?”

“Was that bad?”

“Yes. It was wet.”

“You were plenty wet before,” Kylo pointed out. “What about when you kissed me?”

“I did nothing of the sort. Perhaps you were suffering from heat exhaustion.”

“If either of us were, it was you,” Kylo said. “Come on Hux. We both know what happened. Why won’t you talk about it?”

“Because,” Hux said, finally looking at him. “It was a mistake and I never should have done that. I’d rather pretend it never happened.”

Kylo sighed. He’d really hoped that it could turn out differently, that Hux would have said he felt something for him, that he wanted to kiss him again.

“Can you at least tell me why?” Kylo asked. “Why you did it?”

“The heat got to me.” Hux turned to look ahead again and took a sip of his drink. After a while, he spoke again. “You seem disappointed.”

“No,” Kylo said quickly. “I just. Wanted to know. Why then. Why you kissed me.”

“I told you,” Hux started to say.

“No. You were suffering from heat the entire time and you recovered too fast. You knew what you were doing.”

“Fine,” Hux said, sitting up and swinging his legs to the side of the lounge chair. “I’d never seen you laugh before. And for just one moment, I just forgot exactly what kind of terrible person you are and wanted to kiss you. It won’t happen again.”

Kylo knew it had been a one time thing. He should never have hoped that it might be something else, something _more_. He also didn’t realize that he needed it to be more. How could he go the rest of his life never getting another taste of Hux’s lips? He’d thought about it many times, but he couldn’t just have one.

“What if.” Kylo stopped, knowing he would hate Hux’s answer, knowing he would be ridiculed for even asking. But he had to. “What if I laughed again?”

Hux didn’t answer immediately and Kylo couldn’t even look at him. He knew he shouldn’t have asked. He knew what Hux’s answer would be. And now Hux would know that Kylo wanted him.

Suddenly Hux was sitting on the chair with Kylo, his hand on his shoulder. Kylo stared at him, not sure what he was planning.

“Are you saying you want me to kiss you again?” Hux asked, whispering even though there was no one to overhear them.

“No,” Kylo said without thinking and Hux pulled his hand away, but Kylo quickly grabbed him. “Wait. Would you? If I asked?”

“I might.”

“Then yes. I want you to -” Kylo didn’t have a chance to finish that sentence because Hux was on him kissing him, rough and needy. Hux ran a hand through Kylo’s hair while the other touched his cheek. Hux pressed his tongue against the seam of Kylo’s lips and Kylo let him in without a second thought.

It was what he’d always wanted with Hux. Ever since the moment he’d first seen him. But Hux had never showed any interest and Kylo thought it was an impossible dream.

“How long?” Kylo asked when Hux pulled away. “How long have you felt like this?”

“The first time I saw you without that stupid bucket on your head,” Hux said. “I wanted to fuck you right there in the hangar. I never thought you’d be interested in someone like me.”

“Of course I am,” Kylo said, running a hand down Hux’s side. He couldn’t believe he was actually touching Hux and he wasn’t being stabbed. “Look at you. You’re gorgeous.”

“Not how most people would describe me, but I’ll take it.”

“But you are,” Kylo insisted. He was the most gorgeous man Kylo had ever laid eyes on. He knew that he’d never want to be with anyone the way he wanted Hux. And now, he had Hux. Or he thought he might.

“So what now?” Kylo asked. “Are we. Together?”

“I’d like that,” Hux said. “I’d prefer an exclusive relationship, but I can accept it if you’re not ready for that.”

“I don’t want anyone else,” Kylo said. “I just want you.”

Hux leaned down to kiss him again and Kylo decided that there were some benefits to crash landing after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [twitter](https://twitter.com/battle_walrus)!


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